For High School Girls, your year 10 or year 12 school formal is one of the most anticipated events of the calendar year. It's one of those rare occasions when you can really splurge and get super glam'd up - the dress, the heels, jewellery, spray tan, hair & makeup, car, flowers... The list goes on! Months of preparation go into making you feel and look perfect for this momentous day - after all, the photos from your Formal will most likely hang in your (proud) parents' house for years to come! There are so many things to consider when creating your dream Formal look. These are my Top Tips from a professional Hair & Makeup Artist who will be meeting a lot of you in the coming months!
1. Book your Artist
Local Hair & Makeup Artists are in high demand over Formal Season. When should you book your Formal services you ask? The answer is ASAP! Makeup Artists, like myself, have VERY limited booking spaces on Formal days. Just to give you an idea, I have just 4 available time slots per day - 9 am, 11 am, 1 pm & 3 pm. Just imagine, from the 100 odd girls in your senior class, I can only complete 4 of them! And the most popular time slots don't last long! So, if there is an MUA you LOVE, just book! There is no such thing as too soon! Most importantly make sure you book a professional Artist, it breaks my heart when girls contact me a week before their formal saying that their budget Makeup Artist has flaked on them at the last minute. Look up reviews, view previous work and choose wisely!
2. Look for Inspiration
So you've found your dream dress, the shoes and accessories. What next? Once you have all of these things you should start imagining how you want your Hair & Makeup on your Formal Day. Maybe you've gone for a sleek, black dress and you want to do a bold red lip? Or maybe you've got a glitzed up sequin dress and you want to go for an understated makeup look? Do you have a dress with a low cut back that you want to show off? Then you might want to consider an up do! The options are endless, which is why I am suggesting to do your research! If you turn up to your Hair & Makeup appointment without the slightest idea of what you want, it can make my job slightly difficult. Not to mention, a 15min consultation trying to figure out your style can drastically eat into your appointment time. All I ask is that you have a clear idea of the look you want to go for. If you have pictures - even better! It's also helpful if you bring along a picture of your dress in case you're tossing up between looks and what my opinion :)
3. Skin & Hair Preparation
We all want to have glowing skin for a big event, so it's important to look after your skin in the lead up to your Formal. The School year is almost over so it's time to treat your skin (because you've probably been neglecting it during the stress of exams!). Start with basic skin care and don't be slack! Cleanse and moisturise morning and night, exfoliate a couple of times a week and most importantly, don't sleep in your makeup! If you're going to have a facial do it a week or 2 before the formal, you want to give your skin time to get over any breakouts that may come to the surface. If you're getting your eyebrows waxed, do so 2-3 days out. And if you've got 5-week old eyelash extensions that are getting clumpy, grown out and hanging on my a thread, please have them removed! Your falsies will not sit well on top of old extensions! As for your hair, make sure you wash it THE DAY BEFORE your appointment. Freshly washed hair can sometimes lose its shape quite easily, so day old hair is better for styling. In saying that, please don't turn up to your appointment with greasy, week old hair... I'm not going to be washing your hair before I style it so if you come with dirty hair, no amount of dry shampoo is going to save you!
4. Spray Tans
Put your hands up if you love being tanned!? ME! whether you're having a professional spray tan or using your own self-tanner, my tips are the same. Shave & exfoliate before hand, don't overdo the colour and keep moisturised afterwards. It's a good idea to moisturise your ankle bones, knees, fingers and elbows before applying your tan to avoid the product building up in those areas. Of course, if you're having a professional spray tan your technician will do that for you! You should do book your spray tan a day or two before your formal date so that it has enough time to fully develop. If you've never had a spray tan before it can be a good idea to book in a trial so that you know exactly what you'll be getting on your Formal Day.
5. The Big Day
On the morning of your Formal go about your regular skincare routine and use a good exfoliator to remove any dead skin cells, this will help your makeup go on smoothly. Moisturise your face and body in the morning so that your skin hydrated. Arrive at your Hair & Makeup appointment with dry hair and a clean face, please do not apply makeup before your appointment! If you wear contact lenses make sure that they are in before you start your makeup. Once you're all made up be sure to be careful of your new look, don't play with your hair and avoid touching your face to keep your hair & makeup in place. If you get oily throughout the day it's a good idea to take a powder compact in your purse for touch ups. I use high quality, long lasting makeup on my clients, but if you have oily skin it's better to be safe than oily! The same goes for lipstick if you're eating and drinking throughout the day/ night your lipstick will fade. Take a lipstick with you that is similar to the colour applied during your appointment. Better still, if you're wanting a specific coloured lipstick for the day, purchase it before hand so that you have it with you for touch ups.
School Formals are such a fun day, and the perfect way to celebrate years of hard work & friendship. My most important tip is to be prepared! If you leave booking your Hair & Makeup till the 11th hour, prepare to be disappointed. Having a professional do your hair, makeup & tan is the perfect way to make you feel special on your Formal day. It's not often we get to dress up like glamazons so make the most of it! And have fun!
